Author: Brandon Peoples

Update – 6 a.m. Thursday Fire investigators have determined that a house fire in northwest Manhattan Tuesday evening was accidental. The Manhattan Fire Department says the fire, at 3341 Effingham Drive, started as a result of improperly disposed of smoking materials. Firefighters rescued six pets from the fire and two of them died from their injuries. No other injuries were reported. Total loss from the fire is estimated around $320,000. Original story – 9 p.m. Tuesday A family was displaced Tuesday evening after fire ravaged their home in a northwest Manhattan neighborhood. The Manhattan Fire Department says it received a…

Construction in Manhattan’s North Campus Corridor along Kimball Ave. will soon move into its next phase. City officials gave the green light Tuesday night to award a $4 million grant funded contract to Bayer Construction for the redevelopment of Kimball where it curves around the NBAF campus. City Manager Ron Fehr says some of the associated construction costs weren’t eligible under the grant. A timeline for construction is unknown at this point but will likely begin toward the end of October. That will require a full closure of Kimball between North Manhattan and Denison Ave. to allow crews full access…

Kansas State University is offering buyouts to faculty nearing retirement. In a letter penned in Monday’s edition of K-State Today, President Richard Myers announced the one-time voluntary separation incentive program which allows eligible, tenured faculty an option to leave a year early. The pay out is a lump-sum cash payment equal to that employee’s 2022 budgeted base salary, or a combination of a cash-payout and health care bridge. The latter would require a reduced salary payout to cover the cost. Myers says the funds made available from any faculty retirements will be shared with their colleges and strategically reinvested into…

An Ohio man pleaded guilty last month in federal court after admitting he called in a threat to Manhattan’s Lee Elementary School, in November 2019, which turned out to be a hoax. Allen Kenna, 20, also admitted at the Aug. 18 hearing that he was planning to set off an explosive device at a high school in his hometown of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Gaughan has scheduled a Dec. 8 hearing for sentencing in Ohio. Kenna is charged with attempted use of an explosive device and interstate communication of threats,…

Questions remain over how Pottawatomie County will approach a potential cost share agreement for eventual paving on a stretch of Elm Slough Road, east of the Flush Road interchange. At issue is the prospect of right-of-way acquisitions where a new residential development is being proposed. The developer is required to pay for the 750 feet of existing roadway to the entrance of the new planned subdivision. The width of the 750 foot long piece of roadway, is currently 40 feet, which is less than the 80 feet the county generally requires for major roadways. The county could require the developer…

An 18-year-old New Jersey woman was killed Monday on Interstate 70 in Riley County in a rollover crash. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the truck traveled into the center median several times, then rolled and came to rest on its passenger side in the median. The incident occurred early Monday morning about four miles east of the K-177 junction. Isabella Carroll was pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers, including 23-year-old Joshua Mejias Ramos of Pennsylvania and 22-year-old Brian Cordero-Nunez of New Jersey sustained minor injuries. Both were transported to Ascension Via Christi Hospital. The crash report indicates none…

A Manhattan man is jailed in Morris County after authorities allege he stole a vehicle. According to the Council Grove Police Department, 20-year-old Andrew Franklin was arrested early Saturday morning in connection to a stolen vehicle found unattended in the downtown area. After a subsequent investigation, Franklin was booked on a charge of felony possession of stolen property. An official with the Morris County Jail said Franklin remained in jail as of Monday afternoon on a $5,000 bond. Online court records show Franklin has additional pending court cases in Riley County for battery on a law enforcement officer, drug possession…

The Riley County Historical Museum will be closed Tuesday from noon to 5 p.m. Riley County commissioners granted the closure so staff could attend the funeral of long time executive director Cheryl Collins, who died last week following a brief illness. Curator of Design Allana Parker joined KMAN’s In Focus Monday and remembered Collins as a caring person who enjoyed sharing her knowledge of history and also listening to others. Parker was hired by Collins nearly a decade ago and says she’ll always be fond of the opportunity to work alongside her mentor. Collins began working at the museum in…

Flint Hills Christian School has announced that senior Michaela Crow is among the semifinalists for the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The school says it was not surprised that Michaela was chosen. In a release Monday, Director of Advancement Jordan Candido said Michaela is “a driven and talented leader among the students and will graduate in May as a well prepared, academically talented Warrior for Christ.” About 16,000 students nationally were selected as merit scholar semifinalists, including Michaela and five others from Manhattan High School last week.

A Junction City man was arrested in Manhattan over the weekend in connection to a rape and sexual battery reported in February. The Riley County Police Department says 20-year-old Sabian Fyre Adams was jailed Friday on four total charges, including rape, attempted rape, aggravated sexual battery and sexual battery. Police will not be releasing any additional information, due to the nature of the crime. An online criminal complaint, filed in Riley County District Court, alleges the incidents occurred in December and February of last year against someone who was 16 or older at the time. Adams is being held at…